Electrochemical Phenyl-Carbonyl Coupling Reaction of Aromatic Aldehydes or Ketones

An electrochemical phenyl-carbonyl coupling reaction of aromatic aldehydes or ketones to synthesize 4-(hydroxy(phenyl)methyl)benzaldehyde derivatives has been developed. The method shows high chemoselectivity, broad functional group compatibility, atom economy, and environmental benignity and has good potential applicability.

Continuous-Flow Direct Azidation of Alcohols and Peroxides for the Synthesis of Quinoxalinone, Benzooxazinone, and Triazole Derivatives

Continuous-flow reactors provide an ideal tool for the synthesis of potentially explosive but synthetically useful organic substances like organic azides due to their intrinsically small volume leading to very effective collision and highly controlled reaction conditions. Herein, we report the continuous-flow direct azidation of various alcohols by using TMSN₃ as an azide transfer reagent in the presence of Amberlyst-15 as a recyclable catalyst. Numerous 3-hydroxy-2-oxindoles effectively undergo azide transfer to afford azide-functionalized quaternary stereocenters in a continuous-flow module. Interestingly, peroxyoxindole undergoes sequential skeletal rearrangement to generate a carbocation followed by nucleophilic azidation to afford a library of substituted 2-azido-2H-benzo[b][1,4]oxazin-3(4H)-one derivatives under continuous flow. Furthermore, a continuous-flow Cu-catalyzed click reaction afforded triazole-functionalized deivatives. Next, reduction of azide in the presence of PPh₃ affords the amine derivatives in good yields. The continuous-flow application was extended further for the thermolytic skeletal rearrangement of 3-azide-2-oxindole for the synthesis of biologically important quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones without any reagents. Furthermore, this continuous-flow direct azidation reaction is scaled up to 6.144 g of azides with a turnover number of 9.24 under safer conditions.

Dehydrative amination of benzhydrols with electron-withdrawing group-substituted 2-aminopyridines utilizing Au(III)/TPPMS catalyst system in water

We report a method for gold(III)/sodium diphenylphosphinobenzene-3-sulfonate (TPPMS)-catalyzed direct amination of benzhydrols using 2-aminopyridines with poor nucleophilic character in water. Various functional groups such as electron-withdrawing nitro, cyano and halogen groups were tolerated well to form the desired N-benzylated 2-aminopyridine compounds. On the basis of mechanistic studies including kinetic profiles, Hammett study and isotope effects, we propose a pathway in which a Lewis acidic gold cation species activates the sp³ C-O bond of the alcohol in the rate-determining step.

Stereoselective Palladium-Catalyzed Arylation of Exo-Glycals with Aryl Iodides

A novel methodology for the arylation of exo-glycals has been developed. A range of exo-glycals underwent reactions with aryl iodides in the presence of a palladium catalyst. The transformation proceeded in a stereoselective manner to afford Z-isomers. The developed transformation demonstrated excellent functional group tolerance.

Brønsted Acid-Catalysed Dehydrative Substitution Reactions of Alcohols

The direct, catalytic dehydrative substitution of alcohols is a challenging, yet highly desirable process in the development of more sustainable approaches to organic chemistry. This review outlines recent advances in Brønsted acid-catalysed dehydrative substitution reactions for C-C, C-O, C-N and C-S bond formation. The wide range of processes that are now accessible using simple alcohols as the formal electrophile are highlighted, while current limitations and therefore possible future directions for research are also discussed.